Man says Laval police allegedly used excessive force during arrest

A Toronto man said his Labour Day weekend getaway to Quebec turned into a nightmare after he was racially profiled by Laval police.

Gulaid Omar said he pleaded for help as he was pinned down on the ground struggling to breathe, while police officers allegedly placed their knee on his neck and kicked and punched him during his arrest which was recorded by Omar's friends.

"I can't even watch the video. I always tear up watching the video because I'm like, almost lost my life," Omar said.

The 30-year-old from Mississauga was in Laval on Sept 1. waiting for friends outside his parked rental car when he says police showed up.

"We walked maybe 10 metres away from the car and they just pulled up to the curb and hit their lights. And the first thing that they yelled is, 'Get back into the car,'"

The Mississauga resident said he asked several times if he and his friends were being detained. Then he noted one of the officers pushed him.  

"He just grabbed me. He said,' Stop resisting.' Like literally a scene from a movie. And from there, he and his partner grabbed me. They threw me to the ground," he recounted.

He said the incident lasted 10 to 15 minutes.

In addition to being kicked and punched, Omar alleged he was pepper sprayed and tased.  

"I got a concussion. I got a bunch of bruises on my face and everything on my body. It's just scary."

In a statement to CTV News, Laval police said, "given the late hour and the vehicle's location, the officers intercepted it to check the driver's ability to operate the vehicle."

The individual who was intercepted refused to cooperate with the police and resisted, forcing them to use a continuum of force."

Laval police said they are aware of the footage of Omar's arrest and that an analysis is underway.

Omar is now working with Red Coalition, a human rights group advocating for Black and racialized people.  

"I think it was an extreme use overuse of excessive force. I think we counted about 16 officers, seven or eight police cars, and that was just for one man," said Joel Debellefeuille, the Executive Director of Red Coalition.

The group has filed a police ethics complaint against the officers and said the Police Ethics Commissioner ordered an immediate investigation into the conduct of Laval police officers during the incident. 

"They can't get away with that type of stuff because it's going to keep on happening. They're going to think it's okay," Omar said.

Omar said he still doesn't know why he was stopped in the first place but added that he'd never come to Laval again.